Burgled London Arcade Reopens Following Fan Donations

The Heart of Gaming, believed to be London’s last dedicated gaming arcade, has been given more than £5,000 from its community, just days after the location was ransacked.

The Heart of Gaming was broken into with a crowbar.

Overnight on Tuesday, the Acton-based arcade was broken into. It is believed a crowbar was used to force a door open at its upper-floor entrance. Televisions and consoles were taken, including a PlayStation 4 and a selection of Wii U games.

“Our arcade machines were thankfully not vandalised, as this is the element of the Heart of Gaming that would literally have been irreplaceable,” read a statement from the arcade’s owners.

It continued: “I’m struggling to find the motivation and the team of staff are just in bits. People… give their lives to help out here because they believe in what it is we do. No one can comprehend why anyone would do this.”

Estimates put the total losses of goods at about £5,000.

But fortunes for the arcade’s owners changed dramatically on Wednesday, after a Go Fund Me campaign managed to raise more than £5,000 from fan contributions in about a day.